3 Benefits Of Studio Photography Lighting

We wouldn’t be human if we hadn’t at some point in our lives recoiled in horror at a photo of ourselves taken by someone else. It may have been a family member, friend, or even a professional photographer, but one of the key aspects of showing our “best sides” is by using good lighting and sadly, the world as it stands isn’t always so kind to us. Electric lights, harsh sunlight and other aspects can often lead to less than ideal lighting conditions when it comes to photography. Yet, there is a solution - Studio Lighting!

What is studio lighting?

When it comes to photography, lighting is everything and studio photography allows the photographer to experiment with and manipulate light in a controlled environment. Usually carried out indoors, studio lighting can be used to create a vast range of types of photography. From portraits and product shots to the more intriguing art and fashion photography, the possibilities are endless with studio lighting.

The key difference between studio and location photography is the studio photographer can control every aspect of the photo shoot including, backdrops, props and the subject. There are several different types of studio lights that work in different ways to create unique and stunning imagery such as continuous lighting, studio flash, flash guns and flash rings.

Studio Lighting Benefits

1. Studio Lighting Allows You To Be More Creative Than You’d Think

When you think about studio lights, you will probably think of over-edited typical “indoor photography”. This is usually in the form of family photoshoots or commercial fashion retail shots - the both of which are usually surrounded by an incredibly boring and plain coloured background.

For the more artistic photographers amongst us (aren’t we all to a certain degree?) the above might seem like hell. But actually, you can get incredibly creative with indoor photography when you know how.

Studio flash heads are great because they are incredibly powerful - much more so than a portable flash and continuous light. They allow you to manipulate the light in interesting ways, and use other lighting aids such as umbrellas and softboxes.

Umbrellas and softboxes soften the shadow from the flash heads and diffuse the light, meaning that that you still get good exposure at a small aperture. By using very fast exposure times, you can really have fun with studio flash heads by using the flash to freeze a movement. A splash in a small pool of water or glass is a great way to start experimenting with this.

2. You Are Not Limited To The Time Of Day

Summer is known for being notoriously hard to shoot in due to the harsh sunlight, but one of the very best things about using studio lighting is that you are no longer a slave to the time of day, nor the tendencies of British weather.

Unlike the weather, you have complete control over the strength, direction and shape of your lighting - which I’m sure every photographer will agree, at times, is an absolute godsend. For more information shooting in natural lighting, check out our blog post “Our three top tips for summer photography”.

3. You Can Create Timeless Shots

Another great thing about studio lighting is that you can create clean, polished and timeless shots in an environment that is conducive to your every need.

Although studio photography does have some connotations with stuffy family photo shoots, there is a reason why studio lighting and studio photoshoots remain a popular choice for clothing retailers, families, modelling portfolios and corporate headshots alike.

Why don’t you try taking some shots using studio lighting and enter them into our monthly photo competition?

Now that you’ve got to grips with what studio lighting is and the benefits of using it, why not check out our range of studio lighting options and accessories

Ready to take perfect photos thanks to better lighting? We've got you covered - click to view our range of Continuous Lighting or our range of Reflectors & Umbrellas.